Matt Willis says his marriage to Emma Willis is ‘ruined’ over new ‘addiction’ - but they’re still ‘happy’

They’ve got one of the strongest marriages in showbiz, making them the ideal hosts for Netflix’s dating show Love Is Blind UK. But Matt and Emma Willis admit there is something coming between them — golf.

“I’m obsessed. It’s slowly ruining my life,” rues Matt Willis, 42, before grinning and adding, “But in the greatest possible way!” Emma Willis, 49, who is sitting next to her husband of 17 years with her hand resting lightly on his thigh, rolls her eyes and deadpans, “For him!”

But Matt either doesn’t want to, or can’t, stop gabbling about golf. “I love it,” he says, his eyes widening with enthusiasm as he adds, “I’ve got rules about it. I didn’t get told to make these rules, I made them on my own. I don’t play when it interferes with family time. I go when the kids are at school. I try not to make somebody a golf widow.”

For Emma, who has three children — Isabelle, 16, Ace, 13, and nine-year-old Trixie — with Matt, it’s the non-stop chatter about golf that is wearing her down. And she’s still mildly miffed about the golf lessons Matt bought her as a gift, before using them himself.

“I’m only making digs about it because I don’t hear anything else now other than golf,” says Emma. “I walk in the living room and it’s on the f**king telly. The kids walk in, sigh and then they walk back out again.”

And when Matt protests he’s “never had a hobby”, Emma retaliates by bringing up his drink and drug addictions, quipping, “You did, but they weren’t very good for you!”

Luckily, the pair’s relationship is built on humour and Matt shrieks with laughter before explaining how he initially thought golf would be something he and Emma played together.

“I thought it was too selfish to have a hobby so I bought me and Emma 10 golf lessons for Christmas,” he says. “She wasn’t very interested so after a while I was like, ‘Do you mind if I go?’”

But surely Emma has her own hobbies? “If I had any time for a hobby, I’d probably have one,” she grins. “But job, husband, three kids… very little time for hobbies!”

Matt is keen to rectify this. “You can do anything you want,” he says, turning to Emma, “as long as it’s not involving naked men.” And soon they’re giggling again, this time at the idea of Emma starting her own Chippendales Agency, before Matt vetoes it on a technicality, saying it would actually be a job not a hobby.

Humour is clearly key to making their marriage work — but Emma admits they’re not relationship experts, enjoying as many ups and downs as the next couple.

“Love, time, commitment, compromise, f**k knows,” she sighs as she ponders the ingredients to a successful union. “I mean, hopefully we’ll still be going in another 20 years or 30 years or 40 years and then we’ll be in a box together!”

The pair met in 2004 when Matt was in boyband Busted and Emma was a TV presenter on MTV. When he got her number he was desperate to call her but pals persuaded him to play it cool.

“I got passed Emma’s number and I got told by everyone to wait three days, don’t seem too keen. So I waited three days dying to call. It worked though, didn’t it?”

In 2008 they had a star-studded wedding at Rushton Hall in Northamptonshire, which was featured in OK ! magazine and attended by guests including David Gest, Stephen Mulhern and Holly Willoughby.

Matt knew that Emma was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. “I was like, ‘I never want this to end, how do I make this not end? I need to marry her,’” he says.

The second series of Love Is Blind UK is about to start. In the show, singles fall in love without seeing each other — seated in pods, they talk to each other through an opaque wall. Only when they are engaged can they meet in the flesh. For some happy couples, the format appears to work.

Bobby and Jasmine Johnson, who married on the show last year, have just announced they’re expecting their first baby. Matt and Emma were among the first to know. “We were so happy,” says Emma.

For Emma and Matt, raising a family together cemented their relationship and made it stronger. “Having children for us was such a massive thing,” says Matt. “It changed everything. It takes it to a whole new level. It’s bonkers but I love it.”

Openness, honesty and therapy are the foundations their marriage is built on, and the pair are both keen to nurture their relationship. “We like to keep our eye across everything,” says Emma. “So we don’t drop the ball, we make sure we have time for each other and prioritise that.”

Matt, who keeps a gratitude journal as part of his drink and drugs recovery, adds, “I never want to miss something. I want to be asking, ‘Are we alright?’ I want to be on top of things.”

Earlier this year, Matt feared for their family when Emma had to undergo keyhole heart surgery after being diagnosed with a hole in her heart. With Emma in hospital Matt took the lead, but Emma didn’t take a back seat for long. “She’s not very good at sitting still,” shares Matt.

“I’m all good now,” says Emma. “I had a bit of time off.” For now, Emma and Matt’s lives revolve around their careers and their children, but one day they’ll be retired — and they’ve got a plan for that too.

“I would like to drive around the world. In one of those flipped Transit vans,” says Emma. “I love those. I get fed them all the time on my Instagram.”

Now it’s time for Matt to roll his eyes. “She keeps showing me these videos,” he laughs. “And I’m like, ‘Look at this one, it’s like a two-bedroom apartment, they’re bigger than RVs, they’re like the Harry Potter bus,’ interrupts Emma.

“I’d also like to build one and then drive it somewhere.” “I’m in!” Matt says, ready to go right now. “Get the kids in the camper van, sell the house, let’s go!”

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